Slope and Sensitivities

[Terblanche]

I'm searching the forum for some tips, recommendations, or suggestions regarding the 'slope' settings for elevator and ailerons and rudder when you use FSUIPC to for control surfaces. I have a Microsoft Force Feedback joystick and the controls are very (VERY) sensitive ...

Does the sensitivities set in MSFS still have an effect when you only use FSUIPC for control surfaces.

Any help will be appreciated

Regards from Cape Town

Terblanche

[Pete Dowson]

1 hour ago, Terblanche said:

I'm searching the forum for some tips, recommendations, or suggestions regarding the 'slope' settings for elevator and ailerons and rudder when you use FSUIPC to for control surfaces.

They are set to individual taste, and often differently for different aircraft -- especially aircraft of different types or persuasions.  For example fighters and stunt jeys need sensitive fast response controls whereas large heavy multi-engined turboprops want a slower more lumbering feel. So adjust accordingly and go by results.

2 hours ago, Terblanche said:

Does the sensitivities set in MSFS still have an effect when you only use FSUIPC for control surfaces.

They most certainly shouldn't as you shouldn't have them enabled in MSFS if assigning in FSUIPC.

However, FSUIPC doesn't support Force Feedback, so I'm not sure how you are managing that aspect.

Pete

 

[Ither]

I don't have force feedback (Honeycomb Alpha/Bravo) but I too notice that everything seems incredibly sensitive when using FSUIPC versus MSFS. I switched over because I use your app for P3D and I much prefer the greater control/profiles. I know that the sensitivity sliders, etc, are still set at their defaults--I didn't see in the instructions if we should zero all those out? Or if they are completely ignored with FSUIPC handling.

[Pete Dowson]

6 hours ago, Ither said:

I know that the sensitivity sliders, etc, are still set at their defaults--I didn't see in the instructions if we should zero all those out? Or if they are completely ignored with FSUIPC handling.

I don't really know, but I would have thought that MSFS sensitivity settings for specific hardware controls should (would) not be operative if MSFS was told not to use those controls? However, I don't know MSFS very well and have never played with its sensitivities. My controls (I only fly the Just Flight Piper Arrow) are direct through FSUIPC only -- I don't have a choice as my control devices aren't ones recognised by MSFS, being part of a Piper Arrow cockpit ("GA28R") built many years ago by Aerosoft Australia (no relation to the German one).

Since I'm not sure and I know John is very busy at present with development work, why not check for yourself whether the MSFS sensitivities do anything?

With FSUIPC the main way has always been, and remains, to flatten the response slope in the centre. This results in steeper extremes since it is normally still important to be able to span the complete movement of the control surfaces.

You can "fiddle" the range actually used by FSUIPC by changing the calibration values in the settings (the INI file). For example, changing this:

Aileron=-16384,-512,512,16383

to this:

Aileron=-32768,-512,512,32767

goes to the extreme of pretending that the aileron axis has fully twice the range it really has, so reducing the amount you can control to half what is possible. This would mean that it needs twice the movement to do the same as before. But it does also mean your maximum movement is limited to half what it was.

This is why it is generally better to use the slopes., though I suppose a combination of the two techniques could be used wisely, just not so extremely.

It might also be a good idea, before you start, to check whether Windows' own calibration, in its game controllers, does anything for you. That should really have been done to start with, if not automatically by installation.

Pete

 

[Terblanche]

14 hours ago, Pete Dowson said:

goes to the extreme of pretending that the aileron axis has fully twice the range it really has, so reducing the amount you can control to half what is possible. This would mean that it needs twice the movement to do the same as before. But it does also mean your maximum movement is limited to half what it was.

This is why it is generally better to use the slopes., though I suppose a combination of the two techniques could be used wisely, just not so extremely.

It might also be a good idea, before you start, to check whether Windows' own calibration, in its game controllers, does anything for you. That should really have been done to start with, if not automatically by installation.

Thank you for your reply ...

You're right about regularly check Window's own calibration and I do it frequently. At the moment the Elevator slope is at +7 and the Rudder slope at +5 and it does help a bit but I don't need move the stick more than 1 cm in any direction to get a response with the ailerons and/or elevator. It is still very sensitive. I will however try you advice to change the range setting in the *.ini file and see what's the result. 

[Terblanche]

On 5/10/2021 at 10:10 AM, Pete Dowson said:

You can "fiddle" the range actually used by FSUIPC by changing the calibration values in the settings (the INI file). For example, changing this:

This has made a HUGE difference in the way the joystick feels and reacts. I've fiddles around with the numbers and I'm not exactly there yet but as I said, it's already a huge improvement.

The one thing I did noticed is that it seems the sensitivity settings of MSFS still have an influence on how the joystick reacts regardless the fact that ailerons, elevator, and rudder as disabled in MSFS. I've just RESET them all to their default values and immediately felt the difference.

[John Dowson]

4 minutes ago, Terblanche said:

The one thing I did noticed is that it seems the sensitivity settings of MSFS still have an influence on how the joystick reacts regardless the fact that ailerons, elevator, and rudder as disabled in MSFS. I've just RESET them all to their default values and immediately felt the difference.

Yes, the sensitivity settings on MSFS take effect regardless of where your assignments are. If calibrating in FSUIPC, better to leave them at their defaults (or RESET) and calibrate only in FSUIPC.